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Archive for May, 2013

We’re moving again into our seventh home (including two rentals) in fifteen years of marriage.

While packing I unearthed this yellowed, paper-thin t-shirt I’d bought from a guy wandering tailgates on a sunny Saturday home-game day. From his stuffed duffel bag he’d trade students twisted-up t-shirts for fifteen bucks.

I never pictured it here in my swollen closet over twenty years later.

As a mom of three its hardly appropriate attire for anywhere but around the house, yet I can’t part with it. All the days spent with those whom I still count among my best friends chanting “WE ARE! PENN STATE!” are as much a part of my memory’s thread as the three days I gave birth.

Every single place we visit, stay, loathe, love, learn becomes part of us in some way, and some leave us with physical remnants, just in case the threads wear thin.

I found this under my pillow the other night, a sweet hand-scrawled sentiment from my sweet six year-old.

Step back to a couple of weeks ago, after just closing the sale of my blog I had kissed her head before walking out the door to an event while transitioning the sale.

“Mama,” she asked while looking at me with her ridiculously-sweet baby blues, “why are you leaving again?”

I knew the draw to get back to my writing roots–closer to my babies who are no longer babies–away from being the owner of a busy online magazine/blog, mom of three and full-time corporate girl was right for me.

A blog is a great way to open up the dialogue between your startup and the online community. It is something we (Cahoots) have been doing for a few months now while we refine our concept and product. Our blog has been a fantastic tool, asset, and outlet for us. We are attracting a growing audience to engage with on a regular basis. As it turns out the biggest advantage isn’t the traffic, it’s the thought, research, feedback, and encouragement that blogging gives us. Therefore, we recommend blogging as a cornerstone to any startup. Here’s why:

1. The Edge: As of December 2012, there are over 634 million websites (Pingdom). There are an average of 150,000 new websites and 7.3 million pages added to the internet everyday. A blog is just one more way to get an edge and stand out from the competition. Research has found…

I’ve been reading a lot lately about entrepreneurs and realizing that my story is not unlike many others’–most of us had zero formal training in our field.

My mom, pictured above with me last year on Mother’s Day, is a perfect example. Her “retirement career” as a seamstress at Sewinit took off well before she ever pursued formal training.

She’s a sought-after local creator of draperies & home fashions and actually quite busier than she’d probably like to be in retirement. I’m super-proud of her & tell her so often.

Perhaps a more well-known example is the adorable YoungHouseLove.com couple Sherry and John Petersik with whom I luckily moderated a book signing at Barnes & Noble in Richmond this week. (Believe me, no one was there to see me–they LOVE this couple and for great reason!)

Turning the pages of their NYT best-selling book named after their blog I learned that neither of them had any DIY-related training.

They were ad execs who simply had a passion for building a beautiful setting within their four walls & did so creatively & within a budget. A blog–and later a multi-media career–was born.

With 5MM+ visitors a month (yeah, that’s right millions, baby) they are the family everyone loves to watch and the line at their book signing emphasized their killer following:

Bottom line: dream your dream & pursue the life you want. Education is a powerful tool and one not to be cast aside, but passion and energy are always stronger.

Oh, and listen to your mom who told you that you could do anything you imagined, and thank her later when you have.

1.5 million page views. Half a million visitors. Dozens & dozens of clients. An infinite number of possibilities I now hand to bright-eyed entrepreneurs taking the helm.

I wondered if this was the right thing to do, although my exhausted body and mind pushed me to scrawl my name on each document.

One week later, it’s confirmed: this change is truly what is needed for me personally and for Richmondmom.com.

I’ll continue to share more about my education in blogging, becoming an entrepreneur, exploring social media and managing a talented team and basically kicking ass to build something meaningful here. Hope you’ll join me to navigate the past & future.

“Every beginning has an end and every end is a new beginning.”
–Santosh Kalwar